Handley Ahead Of Game

Says Giants' Fans Can Expect More

Expect More From Giants

July 19, 1992|By DOM AMORE; Courant Staff Writer

MADISON, N.J. — As Ray Handley opens his second training camp as coach of the Giants, two of the disadvantages he inherited in 1991 are gone.

This time, he had a full off-season to prepare for camp, which starts Monday at Fairleigh Dickinson University. He succeeded Bill Parcells May 15, 1991, so Handley's short preparation time was frequently cited in explaining the Giants' 8-8 record last season.

And expectations are more realistic. The afterglow from a victory in Super Bowl XXV is long gone, and the strength of the NFC East is well-known, so any sort of improvement should be all Handley needs to assuage fans and please the front office.

There are personnel questions, yes. Can the aging defensive nucleus -- led by linebackers Lawrence Taylor, 33, and Carl Banks, 29 -- produce one more successful season? Can quarterback Jeff Hostetler lead a more imaginative offense? Is Rodney Hampton, who rushed for 1,059 yards, ready to join the NFL's elite runners? Will holdouts be a problem again? What about the draft picks?

But eventually, from Wilton to Wall Street to Wildwood, it gets back to Handley, and his sense of direction.

"I expect to be a better coach this year than I was a year ago," he said. "And I expect the results to be better. I wasn't satisfied with an 8-8 record.

". . . I've tried to increase the competition at all positions. There are no incumbents who can come in here and rest on their laurels, because as far as I'm concerned there are no laurels."

Specifically, Handley has vowed to eliminate the "star system" in practice. In past seasons, the big-name players would stand off to the side, contributing nothing when their unit was not on the field.

"This group got too big," Handley said. "I'm not saying there aren't stars on a football team. Some guys deserve to have some time off during this period in practice, but when the group grows to uncontrollable bounds, then the star system has gotten out of hand."

Taylor probably will provide the ultimate test to Handley's

resolve. LT has been known to arrive for camp fashionably late, even when he is signed as he is now. Handley said he does not know if Taylor will be in Monday.

"I can't control when a player comes to camp," Handley said. "All I can do is treat players equally. Any signed player who isn't here will be fined."

With Doug Riesenberg, who is moving from right tackle to left guard, and backup defensive back Roger Brown signing last week, the Giants are down to 10 unsigned veterans: defensive backs Mark Collins and Greg Jackson, linebackers Banks and Bobby Abrams, defensive lineman Eric Dorsey and Erik Howard, offensive linemen Bob Kratch, Eric Moore and Bart Oates, and running back Lewis Tillman.

The top two draft picks, tight end Derek Brown and cornerback Phillippi Sparks, also are unsigned. Negotiations with quarterback Dave Brown, taken in the supplemental draft July 8, have just started.

Here again, Handley said he has learned from experience and will take a harder line. Holdouts seemed to dominate training camp news last summer, and three -- Roberts, running back Dave Meggett and wide receiver Mark Ingram -- came in only a few days before playing in the season-opening victory over the San Francisco 49ers.

"I'm not going to get myself backed into a corner," Handley said. "I'm going to prepare as if a guy is not going to be here. I don't want to have to start three players who show up the last week; I'll be better served in the long run to prepare to play without these people."

Another goal of camp will be finding a backup nose tackle with potential to start. Howard, a Pro Bowl player in 1990, missed last season with a back injury. Mike Fox and John Washington, converted defensive ends, didn't make it at nose. Rookies Corey Widmer and George Rooks will get a chance, along with second-year free agent Dennis Tripp. Overall, the defensive line and its pass rush need to be upgraded.

In the defensive backfield, rookies Sparks, Mike Wright and Anthony Prior will push the starters. This is another problem area; the Giants allowed nine passes of 50 or more yards last season, critical in several close losses.

And just so Handley can't put '91 behind him completely, there is a quarterback situation to sort out. Hostetler, who won last summer's "open competition" with Phil Simms, has the No. 1 job as camp opens. The Giants also have Jeff Carlson, a Plan B free agent from Tampa Bay, eighth-round draft pick Kent Graham and Brown. Whether by trade, release or injury (extra QBs have a way of getting injured at convenient times in the NFL), two of the five will have to go